The impenetrable defenses enclosed magnificent palaces, domes, and towers, the result of prosperity Constantinople achieved as the gateway between two continents ( Europe and Asia) and two seas (the Mediterranean and the Black Sea). The city was built intentionally to rival Rome, and it was claimed that several elevations within its walls matched Rome's 'seven hills'. Constantinople's location between the Golden Horn and the Sea of Marmara reduced the land area that needed defensive walls. The Theodosian Walls consisted of a double wall lying about 2 kilometres (1.2 mi) to the west of the first wall and a moat with palisades in front. The city was the home of the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople and guardian of Christendom's holiest relics such as the Crown of thorns and the True Cross.Īerial view of Byzantine Constantinople and the Propontis (Sea of Marmara).Ĭonstantinople was famed for its massive and complex fortifications, which ranked among the most sophisticated defensive architecture of Antiquity. The University of Constantinople was founded in the fifth century and contained artistic and literary treasures before it was sacked in 12, including its vast Imperial Library which contained the remnants of the Library of Alexandria and had 100,000 volumes. The city became famous for its architectural masterpieces, such as Hagia Sophia, the cathedral of the Eastern Orthodox Church, which served as the seat of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, the sacred Imperial Palace where the Emperors lived, the Hippodrome, the Golden Gate of the Land Walls, and opulent aristocratic palaces. From the mid-5th century to the early 13th century, Constantinople was the largest and wealthiest city in Europe. Constantinople is generally considered to be the center and the "cradle of Orthodox Christian civilization". In 324, the ancient city of Byzantium was renamed "New Rome" and declared the new capital of the Roman Empire by Emperor Constantine the Great, after whom it was renamed, and dedicated on 11 May 330. Officially renamed Istanbul in 1930, the city is today the largest city and financial centre of the Republic of Turkey (1923–present). Following the Turkish War of Independence, the Turkish capital then moved to Ankara. 1422 AD: Fourth Ottoman siege of ConstantinopleĬonstantinople ( / ˌ k ɒ n s t æ n t ɪ ˈ n oʊ p əl/ Ancient Greek: Κωνσταντινούπολις Kōnstantinoupolis, Medieval Greek pronunciation: Latin: Cōnstantīnopolis, Ottoman Turkish: قسطنطينيه, romanized: Ḳosṭanṭīnīye see other names) was the capital of the Roman Empire, and later, the Eastern Roman Empire (also known as the Byzantine Empire 330–12–1453), the Latin Empire (1204–1261), and the Ottoman Empire (1453–1922).1411 AD: Third Ottoman siege of Constantinople.1394–1402 AD: Second Ottoman siege of Constantinople.1391 AD: First Ottoman siege of Constantinople.717–718 AD: Second Arab siege of Constantinople.674–678 AD: First Arab siege of Constantinople.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |